The Handsome Stranger and the Strange Princess
by kkluvz2write
Summary: Princess Melody is turning twenty and her parents are throwing her a party, hoping she will find someone interesting enough to marry. But Melody doesn't want to get married, she wants to see the world, explore the sea. Jim Hawkins and the whole crew are sent to Earth as guards for the party, but what happens when Jim is put in charge to take care of the Princess? R
1. Introductions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Disney's Treasure Planet or The Little Mermaid characters**

**The Handsome Stranger and the Strange Princess**

The handsome and mysterious Jim Hawkins:

He was a tall man, of no great stature or high title; he had way with words, a quick thinker but often kept to himself. He was alone most days, enjoyed solar surfing, now becoming very popular with most galaxies and planets. He doesn't talk much to others, doesn't think he should, usually gets him into trouble. He has brown hair and light baby blue eyes. His voice now deeper and a bit more rustic, due to some aging process, now making him twenty-two years old, and still unmarried; a case of bad luck his mom tells him. What with his previous criminal record, no wonder all the girls stay away from him, and he never pictured himself marrying an alien, he preferred the Earthlings, or Earth-girls. They're tanned skin and flushed cheeks, puffed up lips, and deep glowing eyes that always showed their thoughts, he hated not being able to read a girl. But alas, not too many Earth-girls on his home planet, and it was his mother's idea to move to another galaxy. Alas, his chances of betrothal were withered away once they decided to move, but he never liked the idea of marriage much, but his mother did.

The beautiful and uniquely manifested Princess Melody:

She was a beautiful girl, so elegant and yet born with a "free spirit," she loved the ocean and long walks down the beach at sunset. She loved her newly found seaside friends, and often enjoyed being with the merfolk, more so than with the humans, but she didn't have a hard time making friends, what with being a princess and all. She was the next heir to her mother and father's kingdom, to which she wasn't all very ecstatic about. Since she had to rule over both land and sea, and the "sea" part was to be kept secret, for the safety of not only herself, but also the merfolk in Atlantis and others spread across the great ocean. Thus she takes great care in not allowing humans to discover her secret, her grandfather, King Triton, gave Melody's golden seashell locket the power to transform her into a mermaid whenever she chooses; preferably when in the ocean where no one can see her. She thus swims off from time to time, for hours on end, often getting herself into trouble. But this coming spring, she will be turning twenty and will be receiving more responsibilities over the kingdom, as well as trying to find a future husband for her kingdom. She has been allowed to marry out of love and not stature, though her parents must consent and give their blessings, after of course, observing that the young man is able to rule, or at least be of a great help to Melody. Thus, the celebration will begin at twilight, when the stars will shine above in the sky as well as on the sea, and every prince and princess within the kingdom, as well as outside of, shall attend. And here is where our story begins.

"Melody! Oh, now where has that child run off to?" –Carlotta

"Carlotta, Melody isn't a child anymore, she's nearly twenty years now, an adult." –Queen Ariel

"I won't consider her an adult until she stops being late for every important date in her life." –Carlotta

"Yes, but I'm sure she'll learn." -Queen Ariel

"Yes, your majesty." –Carlotta

"Ariel, have you seen my sword? It's gone missing again." –King Eric

"I'm sure Melody has something to do with it." –Queen Ariel

"How can you be sure of that?" –King Eric

"She's been practicing fencing." –Queen Ariel

"Of course she is." –King Eric

"Yes, I heard the young princess pretending to be a pirate just the other day." –Carlotta

"Oh dear." –Queen Ariel

"Oh dear indeed, a pirate of all things!" –Carlotta

"You know Carlotta, I was once fond of being out at sea, taking risks, traveling, finding new adventures." –King Eric

"Yes, and you even found yourself a beautiful mermaid. But you never stole money or found buried treasure." –Carlotta

"I don't know about that." –King Eric gazed lovingly into his wife's beautiful deep blue eyes.

"Aww, Eric." –Queen Ariel

"Your majesties, the guests are beginning to arrive." –Grimsby

"Ah, yes, shall we?" –King Eric

"We shall. Carlotta, inform us as soon as the princess arrives, she will not need to make her grand entrance until all of the guests are here, until then, she is free to do as she pleases." –Queen Ariel

"Yes your majesty." –Carlotta gave a small curtsy as she rushes down to the kitchen to see what Louis is up to.

Meanwhile*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Sebastian! Please! I don't understand this stance, just once more." –Princess Melody

"I ham not makin' a foool of meself again for ya child. I told you, I ham not a fencin' partner, I ham a crab! And a talented composer at dat!" –Sebastian the Crab Royal advisor to King Triton (but we'll just call him Sebastian)

"I'll be the star of your next concert if you help me, I'll never be late to rehearsal, I'll wear whatever you give me and sing any note you like."

"You give yer werd on dat?"

"If I fail, then I shall not set foot in the ocean for a week, you know how hard that is for me."

"Deal."

"Alright then, on gar!"

"Oh boy, dis is going to be a long day."

"Melody! It's time to get ready now!"—Queen Ariel

"Yes mother, coming."—Princes Melody

"Well, I suppose dat's dat. Now come on girl, we got to get you ready for da party."—Sebastian

"Right, uhhh, I just hope my parents don't try to get me married off to anyone."

"Why's dat? You're going to have to get married eventually."

"Ya, but I want it to be on my own time, with someone I really fall in love with."

"Well, not everyone can be as lucky as your parents."

"Ya, I know." Melody began to walk back to the castle, a gloomy look on her face.

"Jim! I wish you'd get down here, the ship will be leaving soon!"—Sarah Hawkins

"Ya, I'm coming mom! Just one last thing! Morph! Where are you buddy?"—Jim Hawkins

"Priiii! Here I am."—Morph mimicked Jim's voice as he answered him back.

"Alright then, let's go! We don't want to be late. I heard Silver's comin' it should be a lot of fun."—Jim

"Silver!"—Morph mimicked Jim again

"That's right, now come on, we don't want Captain Amelia to bit our heads off for being late. Or else we'll be swabbing the deck all the way to Earth."—Jim

"Earth?"—Morph continued to mimic Jim, sounding confused

"Ya, Earth, I guess there's this big royal party down by the beach, where people use surf boards instead of solar surfers, and they even ride the waves! But we're going as guards, since there's a young princess who's supposed to be married and have a coronation soon after. And King Eric wants extra protection, so we'll be staying for a while. Who knows, I might even meet someone myself, but I'm more excited about all the cool stuff that we get to do down there that we don't have out here. But we have to be cautious, no one can know about aliens quite yet, so everyone will be wearing disguises."—Jim continued to talk to Morph about his new assignment as he walked down the stairs and had a quick breakfast.

"Now Jim, don't go getting into trouble, I know that Captain Amelia expects a lot from you, but I expect you to have a girl by the time you get back."—Sarah

"Mom, I know, you've only told me a million times. I'll find someone; I'm just not in as much of a rush as you are. I just want to do some exploring, I've never even been to Earth, and I want to at least look around. And besides, I'll have to be protecting some spoiled princess most of the time."—Jim scoffed at the word "princess," since he disliked spoiled girls.

"Yes, well just make sure to get nice and cleaned up before the ball tonight."—Sarah

"Right, well I better get going. I love you mom, see you in a few months."—Jim

"Alright, be safe, and try to stay out of trouble. And don't forget to bring a girl back! Oh, I love you."—Sarah

They were off, Jim rode his solar surfer at hyper-speed and arrived just in time to check in with the captain and received his orders.

"Right now Jim, we're going to land just off the coast here, and here is King Eric's castle. The ball will be held inside, and guests are to come in, invitation only. Now, I don't want any unexpected guests, understood?"—Captain Amelia

"Understood Captain."—Jim

"Good, now I want you to be on your best behavior, this is an important job, we may even manage to create an alliance if all goes well, and we could use the resources on this planet if need be in the future. Possibly even as a vacation for those who retire. And the majority their oceans are unexplored, we could learn a lot, and we could also create new opportunities for the future. Am I understood? Don't mess this up."—Captain Amelia

"Yes Captain Amelia, I understand completely. And I'm not the same boy I used to be; I'm a man now, with responsibilities. I want to learn about this planet just as much as you do, and I swear I won't mess anything up."—Jim

"Good then, is suppose we should be going now. Go gather the crew."—Captain Amelia

"Yes Captain."—Jim walked out to the deck and rang the bell, calling the crew out.

All arrived and stood in a perfect line, even Silver was out, apron and all; he still wasn't quite trusted with any weapons.

"Right men, attention, the Captain is coming."—Jim ordered.

"Right, thank you Jim. As my first mate Jim here was saying, we are sailing off today to a whole new planet that none of us have ventured to. Or at least not in a long time, I myself went with my first crew many years ago. And now I am grateful to extend the opportunity to all of you today. We set sail for King Eric's palace where a large ball will be held for the princess. We are assigned as guards due to the fact that the princess is to wed soon, and be crowned soon after, though she will not have full authority of the kingdom without her father's consent on the decisions she may or may not choose to make. Thus, we are assigned to watch palace grounds. Assassinations are inclined to happen, but not under our watch! We will also be keeping an eye on the princess, and making sure that her fiancé is not a traitor to the kingdom. Now, King Eric knows of our . . . race, but we are to keep our identities a secret. Thus you are asked to wear disguises when we land, those of us who do not need them, due to the matter that they are Earthlings themselves are Jim Hawkins, Kyle Larkin, Zander Elliot, Lexus Prolix, and Sonia Meier. The rest of us will be wearing these wristbands; they will disguise any part of our body that is abnormal amongst humans. For example, my ears disappear, as do my snot and fangs. Though the rest of me stays the same. Your skin color will no longer be green or orange or purple, but varieties of peach, tan, darker complexions, lighter complexions, and possibly even red. Please wear these at all times when on land, and when asked where we are from, we are from a different country far away. I for example chose Persia; you may do the same or look for an interesting country that does not reside near Denmark. Alright, prepare to set sail!"—Captain Amelia


	2. The Ball

Disclaimer: One of the quotes Ariel tells Melody is similar to something I heard from _The Princess Diaries _that Elinor Roosevelt said. And I do not own the characters, just the story.

**The Ball**

The walls were covered in decorations, from ribbons, and bows to elaborate pearls and various décor from right out of the sea. It was a lovely sight, the sunset making the ballroom glow; the guests would be arriving soon. And now that the food was prepared and the cake was baked, iced, and decorated, all that was left was the guests' arrival as well as the introduction of the young princess, whom was still getting ready.

"Melody! Get out of that tub! You'll prone yourself dear." –Carlotta

"Yes Carlotta, I'm getting out now." —Princess Melody

"Fine, but let your handmaidens help you at least. Uhh child what am I going to do with you?" —Carlotta

"Umm let me go back into the ocean, then you wouldn't have to worry about me making such a mess." —Princess Melody said half jokingly.

"Child, don't joke like that. Now hold still while we get you dried up, then the real work begins." —Carlotta had a slightly frightening smile across her face.

"Ok, fine. Geesh, you can be really terrifying sometimes." —Princess Melody shivered.

Princess Melody was poked, pinched, pulled, plucked, pampered, puffed up, and finally forced into a corset.

"Now do me a favor dear and breath in." —Carlotta

"I-I'mm tryingg!" —Princess Melody sucked in as she tried to take in as much air as possible.

"Now ladies, pull!" —Carlotta ordered the other maids to pull with all their might as they made Melody's waist as small as possible, along with causing her bust to become pushed up, she tried to cover her cleavage as she blushed.

"Carlotta! I hope the dress I'm wearing isn't going to cause me to . . . show." —Melody turned beet red.

"Of course not my lady, your mother and father would have my head if we did." —Carlotta laughed.

"Well good, so what did you prepare for me?" —Melody questioned.

"Your mother chose a beautiful aquamarine empire dress that brings out your lovely blue eyes." —Carlotta folded her hands together as she day dreamed about Melody meeting her prince charming.

"Oh, sounds great." —Melody sighed.

"Yes, now up with your hands, and here are your underthings. I'll have you finish up again and then we'll begin doing your hair." —Carlotta retorted.

Melody dressed quickly and sat in front of the mirror while they combed her long beautiful black hair.

"Do you mind Carlotta? I'd like to have a word with Melody." —Queen Ariel

"Yes of course, ladies, let's go." —Carlotta

"Hi mom." —Melody

"Hello Melody. As I thought, that dress looks lovely on you. And that gold beading on the bodice is lovely. But there's still something missing." —Ariel

"What?" —Melody questioned.

"A little bit of make-up." —Ariel began to apply the cosmetics keeping Melody's look natural and elegant. Some simple light coral with some blush, black eyeliner and mascara. Her hair was lightly curled and pinned to one side, so that the back lacy part of her dress was shown, she wore a bright gold seashell and several pearl pins to keep the loose ends of her hair back. The heart shaped strapless neckline make her lovely collarbone show, her mother wrapped a string of pearls around her neck, they had tiny gold beads between each one. She also wore a matching pair of pearl dangle earrings with tiny gold seashells. Small curls framed her lovely face, her bangs parted to her right, thick and neat.

"Beautiful. Now, here are your shoes." —Ariel

"Wow, thanks mom." —Melody

"Hmm, just remember, no one can make you feel insecure about yourself without you allowing it. Do you understand dear?" —Ariel

"Ya I do mom, thanks." —Melody smiled as she looked in the mirror one more time as her mother slipped her aqua shoes on.

"You're ready." —Ariel smiled lovingly at her daughter.

"Knock, knock." —King Eric knocked lightly.

"Come in dad." —Melody answered.

"Wow Melody, you look great, just one thing missing." —Eric replied.

"What is it?" —Melody questioned.

"Here, this will complete your attire." —Eric placed a light object atop Melody's head.

She went over to look in the mirror and gasped. It was a gold tiara, not too large and not too small, there were pearls, small gold seashells of various shapes and designs it was as if a wave was going over Melody's head. She was a showstopper, lovely, graceful, and all grown up.

"Now you're perfect, let's go greet your guests." —Ariel smiled, tearing up slightly.

"Ya, I'm ready." —Melody smiled confidently.

"Alright, I'll go gather the guests." —Eric ran off, the clicking sounds of his metals crashing against each other. He wore a similar suit of that on their wedding day, but this one was far more refined and covered in metals and various shinning buttons. His hair was slightly graying and his face beginning to wrinkle, yet he was still as charming and handsome as ever. Ariel looked as though she never aged, she managed to find ways around her hair graying and her skin was fair, with small wrinkles yet she was still as beautiful and elegant as ever. The entire family was ready to welcome their guests.

"Let's start heading toward the ballroom Melody." —Ariel looked down at Melody as she began to rise.

"Right." —Melody was shaking slightly, recalling the last birthday gathering that wound up being a disaster, but she was determined to make this one much better, besides, it had been eight years since that catastrophic event.

They walked down the long hallway with a servant at every door, smiling at the sight of the young princess. The sound of clacking echoed down the marble hallway as they reached the end, nearly at the entrance of the ballroom, King Eric came to fetch Queen Ariel as they awaited with the other guests; Melody would be making this entrance on her own.

"Just breath Melody, just breath." —Melody tried to calm herself, her hands still shaking as she finally awaited her cue.

"And now presenting our beloved daughter, Princess . . . Melody." —Eric announced as the crowd began to applaud as Melody began to take her first steps out until she finally reached the bright lights and all the loud sound of applause. She was smiling brightly as she seemed to glow, her nerves still there, but she dared not let is show. She used one hand to hold up her dress, just enough for her to walk without stumbling, the other gently rested on her chest, as to control her breathing. She smiled and dared not cry out of fear in front of all of her guests. One wobbly step after the other she made it to the bottom of the stairs as all the audience bowed and she gave a small curtsy, then the music began.

"The worst is over dear." —Ariel came over; she was full of pride for her daughter.

"You were wonderful."—Eric hugged his daughter.

"Thanks mom, dad. I was so nervous, but I did the best I could with these shoes." —Melody smiled shyly, slightly impressed that she didn't fall over and manage to ruin the party.

"Your majesties." —A deep husky voice was heard and Melody turned around at one, recognizing that voice.

"Oh, Alex, hello." —Melody was surprised to see him here, especially after their last run in.

"Hello melody, it's been a while." —Alex bowed like anything and acknowledged King Eric and Queen Ariel.

"I'd like to know if I could be given the honor of having the first dance of the evening Princess." —Alex asked, his charm still their, his handsome slender face, his bright green eyes, and long dirty blond hair that was split in the center and tied into a ponytail, he didn't seem to change a bit. Perhaps he was more muscular, taller, his voice deeper, his smile wider, his eyes brighter, and more welcoming. Melody couldn't help but smile as she took his hand, he glided her across the floor as she looked at his feet only one, but then she looked into his eyes, and she felt her world stop. Her heart fluttered as he smiled at her, the waltz light and fun as they spun again and again, she couldn't help but giggle like a giddy schoolgirl.

"Ulk, I wish they'd get a room." —A _girl _with fair skin, a short bob of blond hair, dull blue eyes and a terrible sneer was crossing her white gloved arms in a similar orange dress with too many frills, and bows. Her puffed sleeves seemed even larger than last time, her skirt made it so that no one could come more than a few inches beside her. There were two other boys standing beside her, one tubby and the other one long and thin. They all looked related somehow, but they weren't, just all "friends," so long as it suited _her_.

"Now what are you complaining about Alexandria?" —The tubby one asked, he wearing a suit that fit him rather snuggly, the buttons almost seemed as though they were going to burst. His greasy hair was tied back in a tidy ponytail, his brown eyes looked bored, he wanting dinner to be served soon.

"Oh would you shut up Boris! I wish you'd stop saying that every time I make an obvious statement." —_She _scoffed.

"Well it can't be that obvious if he's asking." —The thin one sneered. He was wearing a suit that looked somewhat large on him, his oily hair also pulled back into a small ponytail with a black ribbon. He looked as snobbish as ever, clearly over the entire "party," but his mother forced him to attend.

"Well, I'm just so sick of those two always stealing the show. I mean come on, do they have to flirt like that in public! It's embarrassing really." —_She _looked irritated and clearly frustrated at the pair of giggling twenty year olds before her.

"Well we can't control what they do, whether in public or in privacy." —The thin one remarked.

"Ya, well you know what! Ughh, Johnathan, I just, uhhhh! It's just not fair! It should be me! Me I tell you! I should be a princess, not a duchess' daughter!"—Alexandria stomped.

"My it seems one of us is still very much a, what would you call it Johnathan?" —Boris asked.

"Brat, a spoiled brat." —Johnathan answered his friend.

"Ya and not to mention, a total baby." —Boris puffed up; tired of hearing every negative thought that she had.

"Well I guess you'd best find someone else to talk to, because I'm not going to put up with the two of you for much longer. Hmph." —Alexandria pouted, secretly afraid that she would end up alone.

"Look, let's just have a good time alright, we're here, our parents made us come, let's just attempt to have some fun." —Johnathan tried to be the positive one of the group, since he had nothing better to do; yet his tone didn't seem too sincere.

"Well, I suppose we don't have much of a choice." —Alexandria was grateful that Johnathan always tried to make things better.

"Fine, but I'm starving." —Boris whined.

"I'm sure they'll have us eat soon." —Johnathan patted Boris on the shoulder as they began to walk away.

"Wait for me!" —Alexandria walked towards them, trying to resist the urge to run.

"Wow, that was so much fun." —Melody couldn't stop from laughing and giggling after they had danced to three songs in order, one right after the other.

"Yes, it was fun wasn't it?" —Alex smiled, he loved to see her happy, she was even prettier than he remembered.

"Oh, look, you can see the moon and the stars reflecting off the ocean." —Melody leaned over the railing as she gazed down at the sea.

"Yes, it is the second loveliest sight I've seen all evening." —Alex smiled at her.

"Let's go down to the beach!"—Melody grabbed Alex's arm as she practically dragged him along with her.

"B-but the party, I'm sure you'll be missed, they haven't even began dinner yet, and they'll be waiting for . . ." —Alex stuttered out.

"Oh don't be such a- what's that?"—Melody looked out at the ocean again and saw a strange ship approaching the shore, hidden away from sight. She looked more closely and saw their flag.

"It's a pirate ship!" —Melody exclaimed; she suddenly began to run by herself down the steps as quickly as her feet could take her, once she reached the sand, she took off her heels.

"But Melody! You shouldn't!" —Alex began to run after her.

"But I want to see! Come on, just a quick peek."—Melody begged, still running towards the ship.

"But, we'll get into trouble." —Alex begged her to go back.

"No we won't, no one will know, and besides, it's my birthday." —Melody smiled.

"That doesn't make it right, Melody please." —Alex tried to catch up with her, but she was too fast. She had already reached a nearby rock that lead to an overview of the ship. She put her shoes and anything shimmering down hidden inside a cave as she began to climb in her undergarments, since her dress was the most glistening piece of her attire. When she got to the top she saw strange people that she'd never met before, and the kingdom was so small that she know she would have seen a familiar face and recognized it right away. She overheard voices, commands to begin disembarking the ship and taking the luggage towards . . . the castle. Melody began to wonder if her father knew anything about this. Her heart began to beat faster and faster as she saw how many weapons they had, she became frightened, but she couldn't turn away for a moment, because there was one man that she couldn't look away from, he was tall, slender yet toned. He could most certainly hold his own, fair brown hair split in the center with short strands in his face, the rest tied back into a slender ponytail, light blue eyes, a scar just under his left eye, he had this way about him, as if he knew everything, yet nothing all at once. He was confident, poised, helping and giving orders; she looked more closely and looked at his attire. He wore a loose-fitting white shirt that was tucked into his baggy black cargo pants, which were then tucked into his old looking brown boots with brass buckles. Oh but the way he smiled, it rarely happened, but when it did, her heart stopped.

"What I wouldn't give to be shipwrecked with him." —Melody thought aloud. She quickly silenced herself as she began to listen, a woman walked forward, slender and beautiful with short brown hair and cat-like eyes.

"Listen crew, we've arrived discreetly, a job well done, we are now to report to King Eric as his new guards, but unfortunately we are late, we are going to keep an eye out for any 'strange guests,' so eyes peeled and ears open. Anything suspicious, report to me and I will inform the king. Understood?" —Her voice was harsh and demanding, but every soul nodded in agreement, none dared question her.

"Right then, Jim, front and center." —She called out.

"Yes Captain." —It was that same stranger that she'd had her eye on; she repeated his name to herself over and over again.

"Now man your stations men! And move out!" —The Captain ordered as the entire crew picked up their equipment and headed for the back of the castle.

"Right Jim, that means you too." —Captain nodded at Jim to get going.

"Yes Captain, right away." —Jim straightened up.

"You're not going to go like that are you?" —The Captain observed his attire.

"Of course not, Jim ran into the ship and was back out without a moment to spare, a dark red jacket in hand, covered in metals.

"He has more than father."—Melody observed, she noticed they were coming her way and she quickly threw her dress and shoes on as she ran over to the water to put on her jewelry, but it was too late, they'd spotted her.

"Oh no!"—Melody's hands were shaking again as Jim ran towards her, hand on his sword. But it did look rather suspicious, what with her not being able to put her dress on properly, and her tiara, pins, and jewelry put on all crooked and a mess.

"Hey! Girl, who are you? And what are you doing with all these nice things? They aren't yours are they?" —Jim was critically suspicious of her, since she looked completely out of sorts, her hair a mess, everything astray, as she tried her best to put it on without the help of a mirror, or any of her maids. It didn't help that she was terrified to not only be discovered, but being discovered by a man that you were attracted to. She was a blubbering mess.

"I-uh, well you see, umm." —Melody couldn't put a sentence together to save her life, which may indeed be in danger. Suddenly, matters got worse, as Jim called for his Captain to see the little "thief" that he'd caught.

"Captain! This girl had all this with her and she claims to be the princess, but would a princess be so sloppily dressed?" —Jim looked at Captain Amelia, not convinced that Melody was in fact the royal heir to the thrown.

"I see, bring her with you, and we shall report her to the King, but not in front of all those people, we don't want to cause chaos, just take her to the back and I'll go get the King." —Captain Amelia ran off in search for the King.

"Right, you're coming with me, you little thief." —Jim scowled at Melody as she trembled with fear, how was she to explain any of this to her father, and how would she ever get out of this mess?


	3. The Little Thief

**The Little Thief**

"Would you quite squirming! You're not getting away, so just hold still!" —Jim continued to put pressure on Melody, "the little thief," so that she wouldn't be able to run away. She kept thinking of a way out but couldn't think of one, knowing her father would be very upset at the fact that she missed her birthday dinner and everything there after. But what was she to do? Every time she tried to move he would bring her towards him and grabbed onto her and held her close to him. This caused her to freeze, not only was his grip tight, but she was so embarrassed at the fact that his face was about half an inch away from hers. She'd mumble something about how embarrassing the whole situation was, but she had no idea how she would be able to escape. Thus, she did her best to keep from exploding of embarrassment.

_Uhh, I need to get away from this guy, but how? And dad's gonna kill me if he finds out. But I have to try something. _Melody thought.

"Umm, I-I have to u-use the bathroom." —Melody mumbled to Jim.

"What? Can't you hold it?" —Jim retorted, clearly flustered at what to do.

"No, I really need to go. I can find it on my own, and I swear I'll come right back." —Melody spoke strongly.

"Ugh fine, but I'm coming with you, I'll wait outside until you're done. But I don't know where to find-" —Jim.

"I know where it is." —Melody cut him off.

She quickly stood and began walking to the nearest restroom and went in, looking back at him for a moment.

"I'll be right back." —Melody looked at him earnestly.

"Fine, just hurry it up. I don't have all night." —Jim scoffed.

Melody nodded as she went in and quickly took off her jewelry as she striped down, she stuck it all in a bag and snuck up to the window and managed to get out onto the edge of the wall and made her way to her room, she threw down all her items that were in her bag onto her bed as she put on a pair of light pink seashells and some board shorts, and she ran for the window, threw down her rope and was gone in an instant. There was no way that she was going to await her punishment.

"There's no way that I could ever tell Jim the truth without him questioning why I was spying on them. I'll let dad handle it while I cool off in the water, but I have to avoid that ship." —Melody ran for the ocean as she jumped into the deep end and held her breath until she was out of sight, she opened her necklace and thought about her red fin as it appeared willingly on command. She dove down like a missal as she swam away from her troubles for who knows how long. This was the second time she'd run away, and she didn't regret her decision, there was much to think about, and she needed more time.

Meanwhile, Jim was growing tired of waiting for her. He began to knock on the door.

"Hey thief, are you done yet? It's not like you're going back to that party." —Jim began to pond on the door more forcefully.

"What is going on!?" An enraged King Eric demanded as he approached Jim, with a shamefully embarrassed Captain Amelia behind him.

"Well, the little thief said she needed the loo, so I let her, but she's taking forever!" —Jim began to lose his temper.

"Jim, this is King Eric." Captain Amelia was telling Jim to calm himself.

"Forgive me your majesty, but that little-" Jim began.

"That girl is the princess Jim." Captain Amelia cut him off.

"What?" Jim was clearly confused.

"She's my daughter, this is her party, and you just made her into a thief! What kind of crew are you running here Captain?" King Eric was clearly not impressed.

"I beg your forgiveness sire, but we did not know who to look for, we didn't even know what the royal family was going to look like." Captain Amelia was trying to defend her honor without stepping over the line.

"Well if you'd gotten here sooner I'm sure none of this would have happened, but none the less, we can't help that. The important thing is to find Melody." Eric began to rub his temples.

"You're absolutely right your majesty. I assure you, this doesn't happen often. Jim, go out and look for the princess while I get the rest of the guards in position." Captain Amelia ordered.

"Aye aye captain." Jim saluted as he went in search for the missing princess, or better known as the "little thief."


	4. Under the Moonlight

**Under the Moonlight**

"How is it that of all the people Captain Amelia assigns me to and I manage to lose her and I call her a thief and she wound up being a . . . a princess! Damn it! And a cute one too! Ughh, no wonder why she kept going on about her father, and being the princess, she must think I'm a fool." Jim kicked the ground as his boots slewed through the sand. He stopped and thought for a moment, _Water, she likes the water I bet she went for a swim! _Jim began to undress as he ran towards the ocean and into the water.

The icy coolness of the seawater hit like sharp needles as he dove under, looking around though only able to see the reefs. He continued to swim out as he looked around the crystal clear water, slowly warming up as he found different varieties of life under the ocean by moonlight. There were dozens of fish swimming around him, almost acting like a curtain. Suddenly he looked up to see a large red tail zoom by him, but he needed air by that time and had to surface. As he pushed through the water, he felt the moonlight radiating on his face as he swam towards a nearby rock.

"Where the hell could she be? Wouldn't she need to get some air too? Hu, unless she's a fish." Jim chuckled as he readied himself to dive in again, until he almost crashed into the very person he'd been searching for.

"Melody?"

"That's Princess Melody to you!" Melody screeched at him as she pointed an index finger at him, clearly frustrated.

"Well, do you believe me now?"

"Believe you? What, you mean about you really being the princess?"

"Yes!" Melody rolled her eyes, unable to believe how "dumb" he could be.

"Look, I'm really sorry about all that Princess, I just was over cautious and made a fool of myself. Your dad already chewed me out, and I've been swimming around for hours, so could we please not do this right now? Your dad, King Eric, wants to make sure you're okay. And I promised I'd bring you back in one piece, so don't make me go back on my word." Jim looked at Melody with a mixture of emotions on his face: annoyance, exhaustion, worry, and apologetic just to name a few.

"Fine, you can call me Melody, I think we're far past formalities by now." Melody began to swim back.

"Hmm, fine, you can call me Jim." He scoffed as he followed her back.

"Dad! We're back." Melody held a hand to her face in order for the sound of her voice to echo so that her father could hear.

"Melody! Oh thank Triton that you're all right! Thank you Mr. Hawkins, this favor won't go unnoticed, now shall we return to the party? Everyone wants to make sure you're alright Melody." Eric petted his daughter's head lovingly as a pair of heals clacked on the marble floor.

"Melody, thank goodness you're alright." Ariel embraced her daughter, as she looked her over to make sure there were no injuries.

"I'm fine mother." Melody gave her mother a hug as she pulled away, not wanting to ruin her mother's expensive dress.

"Alright, Carlotta!" Ariel turned away for a moment.

"Yes ma'am." Carlotta curtsied.

"Melody needs to get cleaned up, I'm sure her guests would like to see if she's alright, then it's straight to bed." Ariel looked over at Melody, seeing that she seemed to be somewhat tired from the long night.

"Yes ma'am, come along princess, time to get you into the bath." Carlotta pulled Melody away as the others continued to chat.

"Well, now that she's back, Captain Amelia!" Eric hollered.

"Yes you're highness." The Captain bowed.

"You may call off the search, everything's fine now."

"Yes your highness." Captain Amelia bowed her head as she walked off.

"Well Mr. Hawkins." Eric turned toward Jim.

"Jim." Jim looked up at him, not liking the sound of his last name to be his "title."

"Right, Jim, I'm relieved that you found her, and you need to keep a good eye on her, I'd hate for this to happen again." Eric looked at him sternly.

"Yes you're majesty. I assure you it won't." Jim had a somewhat harsh tone to his voice.

"Good, then we're agreed on that. Now if you excuse me, I'll need to attend to my guests." Eric nodded, having a somewhat bitter tone to his own voice.

"Huh, royalty." Jim scoffed at he walked towards the nearest bathroom to shower and change back into his uniform.

"Now, the water's just perfect, I'll give you some privacy, just ring the bell when you're ready to be dressed." Carlotta closed the doors and locked them from the outside.

"Huhh, no one trusts me anymore, one mistake and everyone thinks I'm some damsel in distress." Melody rolled her eyes as she sank beneath the bubbles.

She quickly bathed and rang the bell, the door unlocked and the maids helped her dress, she wore the same dress she had on earlier that evening, all the stains from the sand and ocean gone, Carlotta was a talented seamstress.

"Perfect, now all you're guests are in the dining room, no one's eaten yet." Carlotta patted Melody on the shoulder as she walked her out.

"Hmm, I guess this will be an interesting night. Or at least what's left of it." Melody sighed as she walked into the hallway, seeing Jim waiting by her door.

"What are you doing here?" Melody eyed him suspiciously.

"I've been ordered by your father to keep a good eye on you." Jim rolled off the wall in a cool laid-back manor as he held his arm out, but clearly not wanting to do so. His eyes grazed over her body, though clearly not in a lustful manor.

"Hmm, you clean up pretty good." He smirked.

"I could say the same. So uh, you're my royal babysitter than hu?" Melody eyed him back.

"Yep." Jim began to walk forward, almost pulling her with him.

"Figures." Melody rolled her eyes as she caught up with him.

"Ya well, they're orders, which means you're not supposed to like them, so deal. And by the way, your dad said not to mention what happened." Jim whispered as they neared the stairs.

"So what am I supposed to tell them?" Melody whispered back harshly.

"I don't know, like you fainted or something." Jim shrugged his broad shoulders.

"What? You've got to be kidding." Melody palmed her forehead.

"Well, make something up." Jim whispered back.

"Fine, but you're not going to like it." Melody stated rather loudly.

"Whatever, it's not like it can get any worse." Jim looked away, observing the ballroom.

"Hmm, we'll see about that." Melody smiled deviously.

"Melody! Are you alright?" Alex ran up to Melody and practically pulled her off of Jim's arm.

"Ya, I'm fine." Melody gave him a quick hug and backed away, still mad that he left her alone.

"Oh Melody, I was so worried about you!" Alexandria ran over, her frills bouncing to and fro as she ran over to embrace Melody.

"Umm, thanks? I'm fine Alexandria, thanks for worrying about me." Melody merely stood still until Alexandria let go of her.

"Well what are friends for?" Alexandria gave Melody a sly look.

"Ya, sure." Melody looked around and noticed two of her other guests in the corner of the room.

Boris was with Johnathan at the snack bar, Boris clearly being the only one to have eaten, since he had barbeque sauce and frosting all over his face. The remainder of her guests came over to see if she was all right, then everyone took their seats.

"Well thank you all for coming, I suppose we'll start with a toast." Eric lifted his glass as everyone held theirs just above the table.

"To Melody, may she find happiness and be granted joy in her life." Everyone raised their glass as they cheered in agreement and took a drink and began to eat.

Melody was asked what had happened to her, and she merely stated that she had some business to attend to; Jim would nudge her whenever she said anything suspicious.

"Would you quit doing that?" Melody whispered over to him.

"So Melody, who is this charming guest you have with you?" Alexandria asked.

"He's a guest from out of town." Melody smiled.

"I'm here to protect Melody, under the King's orders." Jim stated as he took another bite.

"Oh my, seems you have a knight in shining armor, I'm terribly jealous!" Alexandria teased as she snapped her wrist towards Melody from across the table.

"Hmm, and I though you were only interested in Alex, my Alexandria, what a tease you are." Melody laughed as she saw how red Alexandria turned.

"What, but I-I mean." All Alexandria could do was stutter.

Alex looked over between Alexandria and Melody and felt himself blush at the thought of two girls fighting over him, though he wasn't too altogether sure which of the two would accept him, he had left Melody all alone with those pirates, and Alexandria wasn't totally his type. He was about to speak when,

"Please excuse me." Melody rose as she walked out, barely eating any of her food.

"Melody, would you hold on a second?" Jim ran after her, nodding over at her guests.

She was walking quickly, but not quite jogging or running away. She went out to the gardens, taking in the sweet scent of hibiscus and roses. She let her fingers glide over the soft petals as she smiled at the feel. She'd wished it could always be like this, peaceful, serene, and alone which didn't happen often.

"Hey! Would you quit running off like that?" Jim huffed as he grabbed Melody's arm and turned her towards him roughly.

"Hey! Don't pull my arm like that, and don't sneak up on me! What are you, some type of creeper?" Melody scowled at him.

"Sorry, but I'm tired of running after you. And it'll be best if we just stayed together." Jim looked into her eyes earnestly.

"Fine, but don't expect me to like fall for you or something." Melody blushed as she puffed up her cheeks.

"Ha, what are you twelve?" Jim laughed.

"No! I'm just making an upfront statement. It's usual for this situation to lead to . . . to falling . . . in love or something." Melody pursed her lips as she looked away from him.

Those baby blue eyes were calling her in, his brown hair blowing in the breeze, and his cologne was so intoxicating, she couldn't stand it. She continued to bite down at her lips and look away from him, since he was not only standing close but also continuing to hold her hand. Jim wasn't doing too much better himself, catching glimpses of her when he got the chance; her dark blue eyes darting around, at times looking up at him, only to look down at the ground. Her black hair lightly curled and pined over to one side, but there were some small strands of hair that managed to frame her face, making her look innocent and lovely. And if she honestly bite down on her lips one more time, he'd have to bite down on them for her. Jim never had to restrain himself from a person before, he honestly was able to keep his cool, but he was losing himself with her. He could get lost in her eyes, his hands lost in her hair, and that dress could honestly get lost too, he saw her in that get-up she wore earlier, those seashells and those cute board shorts that exposed her toned calves. She was beautiful under that moonlight, but his mind honestly continued to venture to unclean thoughts. Melody was merely thinking of a way from "accidentally" getting tangled up with him on the grass.

"So, this garden, it's your mom's? I mean the queen?" Jim managed to stutter out.

"Ya, she likes all this stuff, I just like walking through it all, it's very calming." Melody smiled as she tried to walk away, though Jim pulled on her hand as her eyes looked down to her arm then down to their hands, up his arm and landing on his face. He was a light shade of pink, and his lips looked chapped, his eyes glazed over with a mixture of curiosity and lust. She gnawed at her lips again as she looked away, only to be pulled into his chest, her hands smashed against his torso as her lips crashed onto his neck.

"Melody, stop doing that with your lips, or I swear you're going to regret it." Jim panted out as his hands fell down her arms and grasped her small waist.

"I regret nothing." She looked up at him as she bite her lip again.

"Damn you!" Jim pulled her into a heated kiss, his lips crashing against hers as he began to chew at her lips, making them raw as he licked at them as she moaned. As soon as she parted her lips his tongue dove in as he battled her for dominance, to which she was doing rather well, until he tilted his head, licking the walls of her mouth as she moaned and swirled her tongue around his own as she pulled away for air, a trail of saliva connecting the two.

"Jim, this really isn't a good idea." Melody huffed as she looked at him, her eyes glazed over and her chest heaved. She tried to push away, but he wouldn't allow it, he simply held her as he kept enough distance so that she could breath.

"I'm sorry, your highness, I'm sorry. I got carried away." Jim pushed his hair out of his face as he backed away, still thinking of the way her lips tasted of the sea mixed with lipstick.

"I didn't exactly stop you Jim, this is just as much my fault as it is yours." Melody reached out to touch his arm.

"But I'm supposed to be protecting you, not . . . pleasuring myself with you." Jim looked away for a moment as he looked into her eyes again, seeing an emptiness that he too seemed to have lately.

"Jim, I pleasured myself too, it happens, we're only human. I just honestly never thought my first kiss would be like that." Melody touched her lips and blushed at the thought.

"That was your first kiss? What are you some type of kissing expert?" Jim looked at her aghast at her 'all natural talent.'

"Umm, I guess I'm just a . . . natural?" Melody shrugged as she walked towards a small pond filled with water lilies.

"Ha, wait. So uh, you wanna do it again sometime?" Jim looked at her, knowing he must have sounded ridiculous, he inwardly face palmed himself.

"Sure, but next time, it'll be on the beach, and I'll be in my seashell bikini with my bikini bottoms." Melody went up close to him and whispered right by his ear as she gave him a sly look.

"Ughh, you have no idea what you're doing to me." Jim rolled his eyes as he almost groaned at the thought of Melody and himself making out on the sand, her body barely covered by her small bathing suit.

"Haha, you're too much fun to tease." Melody pushed him playfully as she ran towards a gazebo with grapes and ivy growing around the main structure, almost like a little hideaway.

"You're still running from me." Jim came up from behind Melody as he hugged her just beneath her mid-sized chest.

"And you're acting like a pervert stalker." Melody elbowed him as he groaned in pain, she merely skipped away towards her room and climbed the rope, and then she undressed and had just enough time to put her nightgown on as he reached her window. Her hair was cascading down her slender back as she brushed it, facing her mirror and away from him.

"You know, this is getting old." Jim leaned against the wall adjacent to her as she smiled at his reflection.

"And you're crossing the line." She looked up at him, a single eyebrow raised.

"How so?" Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Because, you are in my room, fully dressed, but I am in my nightgown, and you've already stolen my first kiss. Not to mention, thinking dirty little thoughts about me, and even possibly causing me to create some of my own about you." She fiddled with the ends of her hair, dropping small pieces as they bounced and stayed just above her bellybutton, which was clearly visible. Her hair acted as a curtain, hiding all her _hidden treasures _from him, he almost cursed it, if it weren't for how beautiful and mysterious it made her look.

"You're such a tease." Jim scoffed as he looked away from her and frowned.

"You know, it takes one to know one." Melody smiled as she walked to her bed, blowing out all her candles but one.

"So, where are you sleeping?" Melody looked up at him, covered in sheets and a large comforter embroidered with mermaids and sea life.

"In here, Carlotta was nice enough to bring me in a cot. So I'll be at your feet if you need me." Jim bowed as he began to undress, not even facing away from her, let alone staring right at her, almost imagining she was the one to undress him. It was going to be a long and painful night of sexual tension for him.

"Oh, that's too bad. Well, I hope you sleep well." Melody smirked as she blew out the last light and went to sleep, dreaming of all that happened under the moonlight.

"Good night princess." Jim smiled as he got into the cot and dreamed about long black hair and dark blue eyes looking up at him as he kissed her soft flesh. Her lips still warm from the kiss they shared earlier that night, but this was only the beginning of their rather complicated relationship.


End file.
